Are 11 holidays per year not enough for state workers?

Yes
21% (165)

No
79% (607)

772 total votes.

Just weeks after voters agreed to help ailing state coffers with higher sales and income taxes, a Los Angeles-area lawmaker wants to give state workers an additional paid holiday, costing taxpayers tens of millions of dollars per year.

Assemblyman Roger Hernández, D-West Covina, on Tuesday introduced a bill that would celebrate Native American Day as a holiday on the second Monday in October, recognized as Columbus Day by the federal government.

The added holiday would make 12 per year for state workers. Hernández, whose top campaign contributors have been trade unions, is a key player in the new Democratic supermajority in the legislature. He was named last month to chair the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee.

In November, voters approved a quarter-cent sales tax hike and voted to raise income taxes on a sliding scale on the wealthy. The tax is expected to raise about $6 billion a year.

State finance officials could not immediately project the cost of another holiday. A dozen years ago, it was estimated that adding the Cesar Chavez holiday cost taxpayers some $50 million annually.

Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2009 stripped Columbus Day and Lincoln’s Birthday from the state’s paid holiday calendar. He estimated the combined savings at $114 million a year, although finance officials now say the move saved $13.5 million annually per canceled holiday.

Hernández’s office declined to make him available for an interview, or to identify proponents of the legislation. They did release a statement.

“This legislation is inspired by the recognition that the so-called discovery of the Americas by Columbus eventually led to the genocide of Native Americans,” the statement said. “This bill hence provides the proper respect and recognition to our Native American nations.”

On Tuesday, Gov. Jerry Brown told The Watchdog that the Hernández bill would not be welcome on his desk.

“You can take this to the bank: We’re not going to spend money that we can’t afford to spend,” Brown said. “We’re all going to have to sacrifice according to our means … We have to do more with less.”

Brown plans to release his 2013-14 budget proposal on Thursday.

In addition to 11 paid holidays per year, state workers are also provided with two paid training and development days that were later given to them to make up for the loss of the holidays honoring Lincoln and Columbus. Employees also recently signed a new labor contract that requires them to take one day off per month without pay.

Newly-elected Republican Assemblywoman Marie Waldron of Escondido said the state cannot afford another paid holiday.

“While it is important to recognize and honor Native American heritage ... There are more responsible ways to make the same statement,” said Waldron, whose district includes six federally recognized Indian tribes.

Assembly Bill 55 would require state agencies to close the second Monday in October. It also would allow — but not require — local agencies to give their workers a paid day off.

Neither the city of San Diego nor the San Diego Unified School District provide the holiday to their employees. A school district spokesman said he reviewed district calendars and doubted whether employees ever got the day off.

“I have one right in front of me for 1954-’55 — no Columbus Day,” said Jack Brandais. “And I had another one from the 1920s and there is no Columbus Day there either.”

In 1980, the San Diego City Council approved a deal with its employee groups providing for an additional floating holiday in lieu of a fixed Columbus Day.

Columbus Day has long been celebrated across the world to mark Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the Americas in 1492. Columbus Day became a holiday for federal employees in 1937 and remains so. Congress later passed legislation ensuring that Columbus Day, Memorial Day, Veteran’s Day and Presidents Day would fall on Mondays.

Lately, though, the day has been getting the squeeze.

Nearly half of the 50 states do not recognize Columbus Day as a paid day off, according to the Council of State Governments.

It is celebrated as Native American’s Day in South Dakota. In Tennessee, at the governor’s discretion, Columbus Day may be observed the day after Thanksgiving. And in Vermont, Columbus Day 2012 was a floating holiday but state offices were open.

Some cities such as Calimesa, Calif., have moved to switch the Columbus Day holiday to honor the contributions of others, including labor organizer Cesar Chavez. Columbus Day was renamed “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” in the city of Berkeley.